Summer Between the Pages: Ponderance
by OffCenterFold
Summary: Shishio Makoto has been defeated, but it was no easy victory. Takani Megumi has come to Kyoto to tend to her friends' injuries. Shinomori Aoshi has time to reflect on what's transpired in the last few months, and what's to come next.
1. Chapter 1

He could not remember ever seeing her work on a patient. Certainly he had never seen her attending to someone as badly injured as Himura Kenshin was. He had seen the look in her eyes when she first saw him. They were not the eyes of a physician.

~She loves him.~ A slow trickle of resigned amusement passed through him briefly. ~Almost, I could begin to understand why.~

And then Sanosuke had spoken to her, had brought her back to the physical plane, and her eyes had changed; she was a competent and disengaged physician throughout. He could see the moment afterwards when she had closed off her woman's heart and was relying solely on her impressive medical training.

The wounds were severe. Even with her dispassionate remove, she gasped in sympathetic outrage when she saw the chunk that Shishio had taken out of Kenshin's shoulder.

"So many scars... And now he will have so many more," she murmured at one point as her needle flashed red in the lamplight.

He wondered at how much they both had changed in the weeks since their paths had first crossed. There was a darkness in his heart that he feared would never truly lift. He remembered when he and the others had arrived at Kanryuu's mansion with a pang; though it had been more than a week after their arrival before he actually encountered the woman, he already knew her role. Still, he had been surprised by her strength; already she had been held there for almost two years but she had never given up hope.

There had been one instance when she had tried to seduce him into "breaking her out of there". He had been a little intrigued though he'd given no evidence of it, turning her down cold. But she hadn't persisted, and he had wondered whether the attempt was for form's sake, or if she had been genuinely disappointed.

Watching her now, he saw her tenacity had flourished with freedom; he could ascertain no more about the meaning behind that long-ago attempt, although seeing the difference in her refreshed his sense of just how nasty a character Kanryuu had really been. ~To keep such a creature as she is caged for so long… He kept his doom close to him, and reveled in it. Sooner or later she would have found a way to kill him, if she couldn't escape.~

She seemed tireless, focused so completely on tending to the patient's wounds. Meticulously she cleaned them all, wincing slightly each time Kenshin's unconscious body flinched away from the renewed pain. Carefully, with tiny and precise stitches, she swiftly closed the gaping slashes in his chest and back. Not until every last injury had been tended did she even sit back to take a deep breath.

"Why don't you rest a little, Megumisan?" Misao noted that it was well after midnight and she was sure Megumi hadn't eaten dinner; she had gone directly to Kenshin's side after her arrival in the early evening.

"No. Yahikokun also needs tending." As she stood up, they could see she was tired. She ignored their concerned looks, only stretched and moved to stand by the boy's bedside.

Before she could react, someone was placing a cup of hot tea in her hand. "Drink this first." Startled, she looked up at Aoshi. His expression was unchanged; tired and calm, tinged very slightly with his own pain, he pressed the cup into her palm before turning to pick up the soiled bandages. "I will bring more supplies in a moment."

Bemused, she drank. The tea was rather strong; the bitter heat of it flooded her chest and helped to ease the knot while perking her up a bit.

She washed her hands again before kneeling by Yahiko. "There are fewer open wounds; a lot of the damage he took is from shock. Still, I will do what I can…" Just as she had for Kenshin, she cleaned and stitched the larger lacerations on Yahiko's body. The eastern horizon was beginning to lighten when she leaned back at last.

"And the rest of you," she said, shaking her head slightly. "All of you need to…" she cut herself off with a yawn. "Need to –"

"No way. You're not touchin' anyone else tonight, Kitsune," Sano raised his head from where he'd been dozing nearby. "It's almost dawn. You've been at this all night and you can barely stand."

"Fine. I'll take five minutes, and then I'll look at your wounds," she said, sitting back against the wall and closing her eyes.

He studied her for a long moment. "Yeah. Take five minutes," Sano said, not bothering to hide his skepticism. "You just sit back and relax for five minutes."

Kuro, who had just awoken in order to begin his morning routine, stepped inside in time for Sano's comment and looked at the visitor askance. "You really shouldn't talk that way to the doctor who's going to treat your injuries."

Sano shook his head with a tired smile of his own. "Look at her. She's not hearin' anything."

They did. Kaoru and Misao had returned to bed some time ago, but Kuro and Aoshi looked across at Megumi, who was slumped over in a pose of complete exhaustion, already sound asleep.

"She's done this before," Sano said softly, "worked herself past exhaustion trying to save a patient's life. Only… It's never been Kenshin before." The other two men didn't miss the flash of emotion that crossed Sanosuke's features.

~Guilt?~ Aoshi wondered. "Kuro," he said after a moment. "Take her to a private room. She is not to be disturbed by anyone until she awakens on her own."

Nodding, the large man carefully picked up the sleeping woman and carried her carefully out of the room.

"She's really somethin'," Sano said softly. "Just don't tell her I said so." Abruptly, with a last quick glance at Kenshin and Yahiko, he left the room.

Aoshi, not having slept, had no intention of doing so. Daylight was rapidly approaching, and there was the Aoiya to run, after all. And if it was in rather sad shape at the moment, there were repairs to be made.

~Although,~ he reflected, ~if I am to be honest with myself, I am not ready to do all that must be done.~ Lightly he pressed a hand to his ribs, which still felt the aftereffects of Kenshin's strike. ~Perhaps it is not a bad thing that he did not take my life, but it will be some time before I feel as though I no longer might wish he had. Even taking a deep breath remains difficult.~

"I won't say a word about your condition, on one condition," Okina said softly behind him. Other than the sleeping patients and doctor, Aoshi had been alone in the room. The old man had apparently come in time to see Aoshi wincing slightly.

"And what condition would that be?"

"Rest. I won't force you to stay in bed, Aoshi, but you're in no better shape than I am right now. Not in terms of the physical labor required to make the repairs to this place. Sleep, meditate, do what you must, but allow yourself to heal. Let that nice doctor take care of you," he added with a teasing leer.

Aoshi's mouth tightened slightly.

"Wait…" Understanding dawned in the old onmitsu's eyes. "She's the one _that_ man kept, isn't she."

Aoshi nodded slightly.

To his surprise, the old man smiled in brief amusement. "She certainly didn't seem to hesitate to order you around," he pointed out.

"She is no more comfortable around me than I am around her. She loves him, for one." Aoshi indicated the unconscious figure on the bed. "For another, I… was part of the problem."

"That's true, but you shouldn't let your injuries go untreated because of the problems of the past. She is a doctor, and a Takani at that, and as such she would never allow her personal feelings to affect her treatment of any patient."

"Perhaps when she awakens," Aoshi conceded. "But only the most necessary treatment."

Okina studied his young friend for a long time. "The only reason you didn't die from that blow – the ONLY reason – is Himurakun's oath. I've seen Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu; its weakest attack is a killing blow. The succession technique, performed without holding back, would split a man in half completely. Even a man such as you couldn't survive that."

"But I did survive. And my injuries… are fully deserved."

"You weren't yourself, Aoshi. You don't have to shoulder the blame for –"

Aoshi did not raise his voice at all, saying very simply, "I do." There was no arguing with the finality in his tone. He sounded almost casual, even as he turned back to watch the sleeping figures in their beds.

Once again, Okina nodded his understanding. ~It's not just those four he holds himself responsible to. He also blames himself for having fallen prey to his own guilt. That, I can't prevent… But he did come back to us. I am very glad that Himurakun was able to keep the promise to Misao… and not to me.~ He sighed heavily. "Go and rest, Aoshi. The rest of us will see to the repairs. I'll send Shiro for you when Takanisensei awakens."

"Aa."

Okina watched Aoshi for another moment before turning away, leaving the tall, silent figure standing over the slight, silent sleepers.

But Aoshi did not stay much longer than Okina had; instead he turned. ~Making breakfast is no great strain.~ He decided to retreat to the shrine for the recommended meditation after he'd attended to the morning meal. Kuro was already in the kitchen when he arrived.

"Okashira! Ah, Aoshisama…" Kuro looked flustered, startled as he was by Aoshi's appearance behind him. "You should try to get some rest." His gaze was full of genuine concern.

Aoshi took the mixing bowl from Kuro's unresisting grip. "I will be fine. There is more demanding work to be done; I will make breakfast."

"If you're sure."

"Go," Aoshi said gently. "I will rest after breakfast has been prepared."

The large man left the kitchen with a befuddled expression, clearly not entirely sure what had just transpired. He went in search of the others to help with the ongoing repairs to the Aoiya, shaking his head the entire time.

Aoshi, left with his own thoughts, returned to his musings about the strength of the rurouni's hold on the people who cared for him.

From the moment he'd first discovered the man's existence, there had been something indefinably different about the slight redhead. Even before knowing his former identity as the Hitokiri Battousai, he had sensed that there was more to the deceptively delicate figure under that unruly red hair… How the woman had found him, he did not care to guess, but time had shown him that it was merely Kenshin's luck and nature to attract those in need… Including himself.

Even in his own darkest hour…

_The dojo had been locked, but that was no obstacle for him. Perhaps they were all out on errands; no matter. If he waited, doubtless someone would show up, if only to check on things… and then he would have his prey in sight._

_He had closed the door but not locked it when he entered, and had stood for over an hour, wandering around the pathetic little room, studying the damage that hadn't been repaired. There was a large hole in the wall, barely patched up; a slash that seemed to have come from Battousai's own blade, and another, deeper, which had not._

_His patience paid off, there was a noise at the door. He stood still, waiting…_

_The doors half flew open, and he half turned. The woman at the door was not the owner of the dojo; although she was very familiar to him._

_Takani Megumi. What they'd endured together… Memories flashed through his mind, many of them unpleasant. He had made a decision that brought him to that life. She had had no choice…_

_"Shinomori Aoshi." She had gone paler than normal. _

_And now, he knew, neither did he. He turned and started towards her, slowly and deliberately. _

_"Where is Battousai?" It emerged as a demand, not a question, but that was fine. She was unimportant; the only thing that mattered was finding and killing him._

_She did not answer; her knees seemed to have given out beneath her and she had fallen to stare at him in horror._

_"Where. Is. Battousai."_

_"I… I don't know." _

_He asked her once more, kneeling before her as though she was a small child. He reached out, pushing a lock of her hair back, cupping her cheek._

_Somehow it felt right, as though her face belonged in his hand. As though there was something more meant for them than just this brief moment… Because if she did not give him the answer he sought, he had no more use for her. And usefulness was all that mattered anymore. Emotions had no place. Only strength mattered; emotions were signs of weakness._

_ "If you don't answer me… I'll kill you."_

_She had refused… And then the wolf had come._

_Somewhere deep inside him, relief had flickered briefly; he quelled it instantly. Her life did not matter. The wolf only mattered because he was freely giving the information that the woman had withheld – to spare her life? But the man's motive did not matter. Only the Battousai's whereabouts. _

_And the Battousai was not here._

~But her reaction,~ he mused now, ~was so typical… All those who he protects seem to feel compelled to return the favor, even at the cost of their own lives. Idiots,~ he thought almost fondly. ~Don't they know that it would break him if they gave up their lives protecting him? It goes against everything that matters to him…~ But perhaps that was the attraction. It gave them more to fight for, to have something to protect beyond themselves… The way his friends had flocked around him even on his way to Kyoto, the way Megumi had dropped everything and run as soon as she'd learned of his need… Aoshi shook his head as he stirred the pot. Now, freed from his own compulsion, he too felt the little redhead's pull. It wasn't that the small man seemed to need protection; to the contrary, most of his friends believed him invincible. Those who knew better seemed limited to himself, and the doctor who had worked herself into exhaustion tending to his latest injuries.

He would be a long time expiating the guilt he felt over his actions: the obsessive drive that led to so much killing and suffering had come entirely from within. Despite what Himura Kenshin had said, despite Okina's reassurances and Misao's unquestioning faith in him, Aoshi knew the truth. What he had done – and what he had nearly done – was unforgiveable.

~But look at how he lives his life, and how she now lives hers,~ he reminded himself as he deftly sliced vegetables into the broth. ~He atones for his past by protecting those in need. She is fulfilling the promise of her lineage and dedicating herself to healing the living. The last time I saw her, she was planning to surrender her own life… And it's all because of that man.

~Can I do less?~ But even as he wondered, he knew he would never take up a non-killing blade. He might pull his attacks, but he felt in his heart that there were certain evils that could not be forgiven, evils greater than the dark deeds he had done in the grip of obsession.

Still, it would take a lot of thought on the matter.


	2. Chapter 2

_[AN] It really helps if you read Summer Between the Pages: Insight and SBtP:Ponderance together, as there is quite a lot of overlap and things that are revealed in one may be skimmed in the other. Just in case you're interested. In this chapter, Insight picks up just after Ponderance. As these are both works in progress, it's likely to be a while before I can get the next chapters up, so my apologies in advance. [/AN]_

**Summer Between the Pages: Ponderance**

Part II

He moved as silently as ever, carrying some of the soup he had made in to the doctor, who was bending over Kenshin, one hand resting lightly on his forehead.

"You idiot," she whispered softly. "Don't you ever dare go and do anything stupid like that again."

"It wasn't his fault alone," Aoshi said, though he doubted she'd heard him approach. She whirled, and Aoshi met her gaze calmly. "Takani Megumisensei. It is on me that no amount of apology would be sufficient to make up for what you have endured."

She hesitated for the merest instant, but he saw it. "Shinomori Aoshi." No matter that she'd seen him the night before; there had been no time for social niceties – or fear.

He bowed his head briefly. "I have brought you some breakfast." Whether she wanted to accept it as the beginning of a peace offering, or merely as breakfast, didn't matter yet. He remembered all too well how when faced with a patient in need, she would put his needs so far ahead of her own to the point of neglecting herself, no matter how poorly she might think of the person. She stared at him uncomprehendingly until he placed the warm bowl of hot soup in her hands.

"I… Thank you," she said uncertainly.

Aoshi's eyes went to Kenshin's sleeping figure. "I am in no small part responsible for what has happened to him." His throat was tight with all he felt. His determination to reveal nothing was even stronger than the turmoil of emotion: guilt, regret, hope, fear. "He has worked what seems to be his usual magic and showed me the way to a better path instead. It is a long and difficult journey I have ahead," he said soberly, "but I too am indebted to him for my life."

"Shinomorisan…?"

"I was never your enemy," he answered the confusion in her eyes.

She made a soft sound of derision. "You were hardly my friend."

"Also true."

She waited but he did not add anything else. "And?"

"I will not apologize, if that's what you are expecting. I do not make excuses for my actions, no matter the circumstances."

"Or your inactions?"

"Aa."

She continued to glare at him; he met her gaze without seeming to notice. They might have stood that way for minutes or hours, except that Yahiko stirred slightly. Megumi's attention shifted and her entire personality seemed to alter as the rational doctor displaced the angry woman. "We'll continue this later," she said, putting down the bowl of broth and moving to her young patient's side.

"Do not forget to eat breakfast," Aoshi said simply as he left the room.

Having gauged her temperament, and remembering how she paced herself at mealtimes, he returned just as she was finishing. Wordlessly he accepted the bowl from her as she thanked him again. Thinking about it, he was surprised to realize how much he knew about her, how much he remembered. Something else on which to spend time in thought. Her mind, however, was clearly on the present.

"Shinomorisan. You are also wounded."

He stopped, turned back to her from the doorway. "I am."

"Let me see your wounds."

Aoshi shook his head. "They are healing well."

"Are you a doctor?"

Did she not think he knew his own body well enough? Still… "No."

"Then allow me to determine how well your wounds are healing. It's what I do." She glanced back towards Kenshin briefly, her expression softening slightly. "It's my purpose."

"More than that," Aoshi said, allowing himself to relent. He was beginning his own soul search, brought about by Himura Kenshin. He could hardly resent her for hers. "Very well. I too have made promises." He set down the bowl and loosened his kimono to reveal his chest.

He didn't miss her initial reaction, quelled only a fraction of a moment after it began. "This injury…" She brushed the still purple-black welt that covered a good part of Aoshi's chest. He was surprised by how little the light touch hurt. "Then you did fight Kensan." There was something in her eyes that combined accusation, understanding, and anger that was not directed at him alone.

"Aa." Hadn't he just said as much?

"I don't suppose you care to tell me how THAT came about," she said, her tone slipping back towards bitter defensiveness. She prodded the bruise, her touch still gentle but more exploratory. It hurt, and he could not entirely restrain his reaction. "Sorry. I'm not trying to hurt you. It doesn't seem that anything is broken, although that's nothing short of a miracle. Any other man would have killed with such a blow, even with such a sword as Kensan's. For some reason, he wanted even you to live, despite everything."

"No one could blame you for hating me," he said calmly. He would never admit it aloud, but he wasn't feeling very impressed with himself either, at the moment. Mostly, he vacillated between anger, disgust, or despair, and numbness. Always numbness.

"I… I don't hate you, Shinomorisan." She turned away and busied herself in the medicine chest, looking for the right herbs. "I hate what you did, what you allowed to happen to me. I hate that you let that man live… Sometimes I hate that you let me live." She turned back to face him, grinding something in a mortar and pestle. "I hate that you came after Kensan… Even if he did put you up to it himself. But you were never truly cruel to me. And I do understand what it's like, holding someone or something in such esteem that you can never do enough for them. The title of 'strongest' was to you as my family was to me: a dream that I must have, no matter the cost… until the cost became my soul. Even so, I would have given even that… until _he_ came along."

For a brief moment, she let her guard down, let him read her true feelings in her eyes. She smiled, but it was tinged with something heavier than sadness and less forgiving. She blinked, and then the moment was past, and she was simply a doctor mixing herbs for a poultice to apply to the soft tissue injury her patient had incurred in a fight, and he saw that too.

A tiny hint of envy flashed into his heart and died as quickly; he knew would never be able to bare his soul so freely to anyone, much less someone around whom he felt as uncomfortable as she surely must around him. The darkness within was too much; it would not be fair to unleash that burden on someone undeserving. ~And those who deserve to see that darkness… well. Those who deserve it cannot be permitted to survive.~

"You and I are very much alike," Megumi said, her tone casual. "Sometimes we forget that the ends do not justify the means. There is more to living than not being dead."

Surprise flashed through him at her observation. "That is true," Aoshi said slowly. He watched as Megumi poured water from the kettle that was being kept heated in the room into the mortar, making a thick mush with the ground herbs. A strong scent rose from the bowl, not wholly unpleasant.

"For all that, I don't actually like you very much."

He raised an eyebrow partway, as much a sign of surprise as he would evince. More than her declaration, it was her bluntness that startled him. "You seemed to feel differently back then," he said blithely, unable to resist the dig. He regretted his pettiness immediately.

The look she gave him spoke eloquently enough. "Next to Kanryuu, anyone would look good."

He almost smiled. "That might hurt, if I didn't agree with you." She should hate him, he mused. Certainly, now, he could never tell her how tempted he'd been by the offer. It was just something else to despise about himself.

"Take it off," Megumi said abruptly, testing the paste she had made with her fingers. It took him a moment to realize she meant his kimono.

"Your first attempt was far more seductive." There was no hiding the sarcasm in his reply even as he lowered the soft fabric from his shoulders.

Her touch was gentle, almost tender, as she spread the salve on the welt and the surrounding skin. Her focus was narrowed; he watched her as she worked.

He was surprised once again. Unlike the probing examination which had itself been careful, she was being exceedingly cautious, avoiding unnecessary pressure on the tenderized area. "Why are you being so gentle?"

"I'm sorry?" Startled, she looked up at him.

"You just said you don't like me very much, and yet your touch is as gentle as if you were treating him." He did not mention a name or even look in Kenshin's direction. There was no need.

"Idiot. You're no more or less a patient in need than he is."

"Aa." It was something for him to think about. She had taken lives, though not as a matter of choice. And yet, only a matter of weeks after he had last seen her, ready to give her life as atonement, she was showing how deeply she valued every life. Such a mindset was not for him. There was too much darkness in the world, too much evil. Not everyone could look at things the way she did, the way Himura Kenshin did. Not everyone could be a protector or a healer. Someone had to root out the worst of humanity.

~And who better than someone who has been there?~ It was not the first time the thought had crossed his mind, but he did not want to wander as Kenshin had done, seeking his atonement. He wanted, more than anything, to find peace in running a quiet inn in the bustling city of Kyoto. He wanted the life he had never known, the life that Kenshin had sought to protect: he wanted to be ordinary.

But it was not in him to be ordinary.

Megumi seemed to be taking a long time in applying the poultice, he noticed. In his distraction, it hadn't registered that she had finished applying the herbal concoction and was covering it with bandages. Her touch was still gentle as she finished.

"Lie down."

"There is no need."

"There is plenty need. Lie down or I'll tie you down."

Perhaps she hadn't changed quite as much as he'd thought. "So much for gentle."

"Idiot. If you move around, the poultice will be disturbed and not work properly."

A flicker of something close to irritation nudged at him. "Do stop calling me an idiot."

"Then stop acting like one. I'd expect such stupidity from the likes of Sanosuke. Not from you."

They both heard the loud sneeze that foreshadowed Sanosuke's arrival.

"You're awake," he said as he looked into the room. "What's with old Stoneface over there?" Aoshi had deigned to lie down as Sanosuke had approached, though he himself was not sure whether it was out of a desire to keep the peace or sheer perversity, to show up the man Kenshin trusted most.

"I've just treated the wound he received from Kensan, and now it's your turn."

"Kenshin didn't wound me," Sano said with a flippant grin.

"Idiot."

He expected it from Megumi, but not the masculine voice that spoke at the same instant.

"From her I'm used to it," he growled, "But what the hell are YOU callin' me an idiot for?" Sano glared at the unruffled Aoshi.

"She does seem to be very fond of the term today." He dodged the question, content to lie still and let the poultice do its work. Besides, watching Megumi treat others might help sooth his mind. There was something about watching someone work at a task they enjoyed that he found calming. It was a rare treat.

"That's because you're all fond of acting like idiots today. If you'd all shut up and let me treat your wounds properly, without any of this 'I deserve to suffer' nonsense…"

None of them commented on the irony inherent in her statement.

Still grumbling, Sano removed his shirt in turn and began unwinding the bandages from his shoulder and torso. As he did, Megumi removed the one around his head. "Not that I expect much damage below the surface of that thick skull," she muttered, "but an oath is an oath."

Occasionally he would try to start a conversation, but Megumi was having none of it. "Ow! What're you bein' so rough for?" he griped at one point.

"I wouldn't have to be so rough if you would stop squirming around! Besides, a little pain _might_ do you some good, though I doubt it."

He had been observing the exchange silently until now. He found the dynamic between them perplexing; they had a camaraderie which they both seemed to work very hard at denying. "Do you expect him to learn a lesson from it?"

"I'd be a fool if I did," she replied without looking at Aoshi.

"Oiy!" Sanosuke protested.

Kenshin stirred slightly in his sleep. Megumi moved to his side immediately, leaving Sanosuke in an awkward state, the bandage half wrapped around his head and draping over his eyes. Megumi took an extra moment to reassure herself that Kenshin's condition was unchanged before returning to her more active and disgruntled patient. It left Aoshi feeling even more thoughtful; he wondered if she would have left another patient in favor of Kenshin, even if only for a moment. Then he wondered if there was anyone she would not have left to go to the redhead's side.

"How's he doin'?" Sano finally asked, his outrage outweighed by his concern for his friend. Perhaps it was perversity that made him leave the bandages alone.

"He's resting. There's no change. It will take some time for him to regain consciousness." Her tone was subdued.

"I should've done more. I should've fought harder. I should've—"

"Shut up!" Even Aoshi looked up at Megumi, who was all but shaking with barely suppressed fury. He almost wanted to hold his breath, such was the intensity of her emotion. "Do you think you should have died fighting that… That man? You almost died yourself!

"Kensan sets great value on life. _Any_ life. Do you think that getting yourself killed by his side would have accomplished anything?"

"But _that cop_ –"

"No buts!" She took a deep breath, then resumed wrapping Sanosuke's head wound. "I'd better not make this too tight or it'll finish the job of choking your brain. What there is of it."

"Oiy," Sanosuke protested again, rather halfheartedly.

"Kensan doesn't know what happened to Saitousan," she reminded him. They'd brought her up to speed on some of the essentials on her arrival, as she treated the wounds Kenshin and Yahiko had received. "And do you think it will do any good when he does learn? Kensan fights to protect those who need it." Her tone changed, becoming softer. "I will never say this again, and if you tell anyone I said it, I will make both of your lives miserable. He trusts you to fight at his side. He knows you don't need much protecting… Unlike some of us." Her expression was unreadable. "But it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that he's… that everyone is okay." She looked up suddenly, remembering her audience. "Even you," she said, looking at Aoshi but giving a sharp tug to the knot with which she had been tying the bandage around Sano's head.

Sano flinched but said nothing.

~For a wonder,~ Aoshi thought. He found himself oddly pleased that she had not ignored his presence, although since she had begun bickering with Sanosuke, he had been doing everything in his power to escape notice. Not hard for him, especially with her focus on her young friend.

"You may as well send the next person in and get out." The doctor's eyes betrayed nothing, having turned back to watch Kenshin sleep.

"How come _he_ gets to lie down?" Sanosuke rose even as he growled the question, clearly not talking about the redhead.

"Because _he_ is wearing a poultice on his chest that cannot be disturbed."

"What about my hand?"

"What about it?"

"What do you mean, what about it?" Offended, Sano held up the limb in question. "It's a mess!"

"It's your own stupid fault." Megumi crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Ain't ya gonna look at it?"

Megumi gave him a look that spoke volumes. She made a point of staring at the shattered hand which Sano had been holding up, wrapped in bedraggled bandages. Amusement touched Aoshi, briefly.

"There, I've looked. Now go get the next person." He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off. "That's going to require extensive amounts of work. Let me tend to everyone else's injuries first, and tomorrow I can spend all day trying to put that hand back together." Something in the doctor's demeanor softened again, albeit briefly. "It won't be pleasant for either of us."

Sanosuke stared at the doctor for long moments before he sighed heavily and left without another word.

"That doesn't seem to be in keeping with your oaths as a doctor," Aoshi observed.

"It's wrapped well enough for now. I doubt there's much I can do, as badly damaged as it is." She sighed, troubled.

Aoshi couldn't help but to wonder if she was more gentle with her patients the more she disliked them, but as the day wore on and she tended to Misao, Kaoru, and the other Oniwabanshuu members – she insisted on having them all present when she examined Okina (which was "entertaining" for all of them in various ways) – Aoshi discovered it was only Sanosuke and Okina himself with whom she was ever ungentle. Although she treated the women in a different room, Misao had said something to Kaoru during Megumi's careful but firm treatment of Okina's wounds and what she called his "roving hand sickness." Her cure for that, she warned the others, was only temporary, although tying his hands to two different chairs did make it easier on them in the interim. Megumi was never sure what kept her from gagging the old man as well.

Kenshin and Yahiko slept on.

After she had examined Okina, she sent everyone back to the party that they had started to some degree the morning after Kenshin and the others had returned to the Aoiya. She even kicked Aoshi out, saying that the poultice was certainly set enough for him to resume his activities – "LIGHT activity only!" – for an hour or two. "But remember," Megumi had added, "If it starts to come loose, lie down and have someone find me!"

He had stayed largely silent throughout, choosing to observe the group he sometimes thought of as "the Tokyo contingent" and their interactions with his own colleagues. It was hard to think of them as friends; after everything he had done, especially to Okina, he found it hard to believe they were so willing to accept him.

The only ones who seemed at all wary around him were Sanosuke and Megumi. He couldn't blame them, for they'd each seen a side of him that shied from the light… But then, so had Misao – and she was as devoted to him as ever. Kenshin was another story, but it seemed he always was…

Aoshi accepted his dismissal with his usual outward calm. He was surprised to realize that he felt just the tiniest bit better emotionally; the poultice was doing its work on his physical wounds, but the salve provided by the warm inclusion of friendship was working its slow magic as well. ~One more thing to think about,~ he thought as he made his way down the hall. Not having anything much to do at the moment, he turned his steps toward the mountain temple. He had very little desire to join the party. The raucous, alcohol-fueled atmosphere was hardly conducive to thought.


End file.
